The sky above the stadium that afternoon was clear, but the heat was no match for the cheers echoing across the stands. Amidst the colorful lightsticks and the fans shouting out the names of their favorite idols, one name stood out repeatedly... Jaehyun. Not just because his flawless face appeared on the giant screen, but because everyone knew that he was the star of the day. Talented. Handsome. Athletic. His smile alone could hush the entire stadium in awe. Jaehyun stood at the starting line, alongside male idols from various groups. But his eyes occasionally drifted across the track, where the female idols were lining up with their race numbers. One of them was a girl from rookie group NCT-Wish, wearing a white jersey and athletic shorts. Her eyes held nervousness, but she still smiled when their eyes met briefly.

Jaehyun gave a slight nod just as the whistle blew. The next second, he dashed forward, swift and sure. The cameras followed him. Fans screamed. He knew well that this could easily become a viral moment. But halfway through the lap, his pace suddenly slowed. Something made him glance back. The girl from NCT-Wish had fallen behind. She was out of breath, one hand clutching her side, clearly trying her best not to show signs of giving up in the middle of the competition. Jaehyun didn't know why, but his instincts moved faster than his thoughts.

Without hesitation, he slowed down further. One by one, other runners began to pass him. The judges looked confused, the live broadcast cameras shifted their focus to him, and even the commentators started speaking with surprise, unsure why Jaehyun had seemingly lost momentum. But when the girl finally drew near, Jaehyun reached out his hand. A simple gesture, not part of the script or the show's rundown. His large hand clasped her smaller, slightly sweaty one, which felt so soft in his palm. The girl was startled. Her eyes widened. But Jaehyun smiled, giving her hand a gentle pull forward.

Let's go.

They began running together.

The crowd roared. The cameras zoomed in on them. The announcers laughed in disbelief, calling him 'the humble prince with a heart of gold.' Jaehyun didn't care about the rankings anymore. All he knew was that he didn't want the girl to feel alone on the track, surrounded by the overwhelming cheers of a world that could be too loud for a rookie. When they crossed the finish line, the cheers grew louder. But Jaehyun only realized what he was doing when the emcee's voice echoed through the speakers,

"Jaehyun-ssi, it seems you're still holding the hand of the NCT-Wish member!"

Jaehyun looked down. His hand was still tightly wrapped around hers. Then he looked at the girl and let out a soft laugh. Gently. Saying only one line, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Sorry, your hand was too soft to let go so soon."

**[ WELCOME TO AU NCT! JEONG JAEHYUN IS HERE! HAVE A GOOD TIME!<3 ]**